Thursday afternoon the Brooklyn Nets announced on Twitter that they have signed forward Michael Beasley as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.
OFFICIAL: We've signed Michael Beasley as a Substitute Player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
⚪️⚫️ Hello, @Michael8easley ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/hHMBleW4G6
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 9, 2020
Wednesday night The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Nets reached a deal with guard Jamal Crawford.
Jamal Crawford has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2020
Like Beasley, Crawford will be a Substitute Player for the Nets when the season resumes in Walt Disney World later this month.
Prior to these transactions, guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Taurean Prince and center DeAndre Jordan tested positive for COVID-19 and subsequently opted out of the NBA restart. Kevin Durant tested positive in March.
Brooklyn Nets big man Nic Claxton is out for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury, and Wilson Chandler opted out of play. Brooklyn signed guards Tyler Johnson and Justin Anderson to fill their place.
How did Crawford perform in 2019 and what can he offer the Brooklyn Nets?
Crawford, 40, has 19 seasons in the NBA under his belt and hasn’t suited up for a team this season. Last season he appeared in 64 games for the Phoenix Suns. For his career, Crawford is averaging 14.6 points per game.
Beasley, 31, has 11 seasons in the NBA under his belt and hasn’t suited up for a team this season. Last season he appeared in 26 games for the Los Angeles Lakers. For his career, Beasley is averaging 12.4 points per game.
Brooklyn’s active roster now includes Crawford, Beasley, Johnson, Anderson, Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Garrett Temple, Rodions Kurucs, Dzanan Musa, Jeremiah Martin, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Chris Chiozza.
Jacque Vaughn took over as interim head coach after Kenny Atkinson and the Nets parted ways in March.
The Nets, 30-34, are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, eight and a half games behind the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, a half-game ahead of the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic and six games ahead of the ninth-seeded Washington Wizards.
The Nets will resume the NBA season against the Magic on Friday, July 31 at 2:30 PM EST at HP Field House.